Product Description

Without Reproach sparks into life during the onset of autumn, at La Finca Pedralama, a beautiful Spanish villa nestling under the sierras of the Costa Blanca. Jenny Bucknall, slender and fiery, in her twenties, a woman of ideals, intolerant of injustice, still looking to carve a place for herself in the world. Eduardo Garcia is a successful businessman and has been selected as candidate for the next Parliamentary elections. Someone is sending Eduardo menacing letters. Jenny, inherits a share in La Finca Pedralama from a Spanish artist she has never met. Jenny's psychological problems start when she sees the finca for the first time, and recognizes certain parts. Worse, there is a nude painting of her in the entrance hall. Eduardo, is also a beneficiary of the Will. Conflict erupts out of Eduardo's single-minded resolve to preserve the finca for the Garcia family and Jenny's equal determination not to give it up. She sees the finca as a chance of making something of her life.He sees her as a gold-digger The contradiction of aggression and tranquillity, of angry and obsessive feelings amid the calm surrounds of the beautiful Sierras, heightens the mood of WITHOUT REPROACH Jenny finds herself struggling with Eduardo on several levels; her escalating attraction towards him, his promiscuous reputation, his belief that she may be involved with the threatening letters. Jenny tries to unearth what connects her to the mysterious finca, but there are always dark secrets. Her growing belief is that there is a conspiracy against her. The enigma spirals as her relationship with Eduardo develops.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #828836 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 292 pages

Customer Reviews

An intriguing mystery at its core
The main character is Jenny Bucknall, who is recovering from a car crash when she discovers she has inherited half of La Finca Piedra from a Spanish artist, Juan Garcia. The mystery is that she didn't know her benefactor and nobody seems able or willing to help her get to the bottom of it. When she's well enough, she visits the finca and is stunned to find a great deal of the place is familiar, yet she'd never been there... Worse, she finds hanging on the wall a nude portrait of her - executed by the dead Juan.

While there is no great villain of the piece, there is an unpleasant writer of anonymous letters who seems to know more than Jenny about Juan's past and possibly hers too.

The co-owner of the finca is Eduardo, the younger half-brother of Juan. Attractive and used to getting his own way, Eduardo is in politics and doesn't want Jenny there. He's determined to buy her out. She stubbornly refuses, drawn by the mystery of the finca. This stubbornness and independence causes her much grief as, like a moth to the flame, Jenny is drawn to Eduardo...

The blurb suggests that some aspects of the book are racy; in fact, they're erotic, and well done. Indeed, this is an adult bittersweet romance with an intriguing mystery at its core.

Barnett has infused these two main characters with life. Like other accomplished novelists, Barnett has made his characters live with the reader and inhabit your mind during the reading process. His familiarity with Spain and the people is evident and lends authenticity to Jenny's emotional journey of discovery; discovery of self and the long concealed past.

There are no easy answers, it seems; I found this to be a satisfying well-written novel.

Forbidden passion, mystery and intrigue - this story has them all
Have you ever desired someone you really don't like? Set in the magnificent hills of the northern Costa Blanca, this story covers a sweeping range of emotions. Intrigue, deception, disappointment, anger and passion - they are all here, simmering beneath a surface a self control, as the leading characters' mutual distrust turns into lust and even fear.
A riveting and racy read.

Superb
What a great find and what a debut.
Finished Mr. Barnetts book in just one day. I cant say fairer than that. The book is a real page turner. Jenny at once captures you and what makes this more appealing is the fact that the lead character is a woman and the book was written by a man. A spellbinding, sympathetic novel by a welcomed new writer.
Wheres the next Mr. Barnett